Voting

[Bamaman]

We're fortunate that or local and state elections are very short, so we'll be in and out of the polling place quickly.

I'm online with hundreds and hundreds on Facebook in my adopted city and in my home city. What's interesting is that 2 are voting different from me. Go figure.

 

[ABQ2015]

I voted early a week ago - there were more poll workers than voters as usual. But it is never that busy on election day either since most of my precinct are older retirees and vote absentee. I got a "I voted" sticker and will wear it tomorrow at work.

Our local newspaper puts out endorsements but not until right before the election. The one thing I don't like about early voting is that I miss the endorsements for the minor officials and judges. But I was able to google most and at least vote for who I considered to have the best qualifications based on what I read.

 

[gerntz]

There should be a limit on when early voting can start, say two weeks prior - to assure as much info as possible is available to voters. But ev does reduce the costs of running an election by reducing the temporary workers needed on election day and not spreading the permanent election officers in a county so thinly.

 

[sheehs1]

I will be voting today. Small rural little city less than 8,000 people so lines should not be much of a problem. It's just something about casting that vote on Election Day that I like.

Now..if i lived in a much larger city, rather than stand in line I'd probably vote early by mail in ballot.

 

[ls99]

Off to the voting place, have to ignore the hordes outside the townhall door still trying to change peole's minds. Then to he Y for workout, thereafter ignore all media for the rest of the day

 

[Ronstar]

Voted a few weeks ago at our county courthouse. We were the the only 2 voting when we were there. I like early voting to avoid lines, but it is fun to vote normally among others on Election Day amidst our township snow plows.

 

[DEC-1982]

Early voting in GA started 10/17, and I voted 10/18 @ 10 AM. Only 1 person ahead of me in line that day. On presidential election days, at 5 PM, people in my precinct wait up to 2.5 hours.

 

[Jack_Pine]

We voted early last week. Very quick and painless, like that process. I kind of wish they would do away with electoral college (I know there are arguments for it). In our state our votes don't count much on the presidential level and never have because of how the state is made up.

Either way, it is a great country we live in and this process should be cherished.

 

[Midpack]

I tried to vote early three times, but the lines were 45 minutes or (much) more! Went to vote with DW this morning, in and out in less than 10 minutes. They're way more "accommodating" on Election Day, at least where we are.

 

[gamboolman]

We voted early on 3-Nov-16 in Texas.

 

[FIRE'd@51]

Do the votes of dead people count?

Only in Philadelphia and Chicago

 

[MichaelB]

Very enjoyable thread so far - the part about member's experiences voting.

 

[Which Roger]

Walked in at 7:48 AM.
Ballot in hand at 7:50.
Walked out at 7:54.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Your "I voted" sticker is worth:

A free Krispy Kreme doughnut
A free cup of coffee at 7-11
Free cookie at Great American Cookies
Free Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream in North Carolina (Wake Forest only)
Free Workout at Gold's Gym
A great feeling that you participated in the greatest democracy in the world. Yes, even this year.

 

[bUU]

I went absentee this time. I was planning on being out of state today. It didn't work out, but once you file absentee that's the way it's got to be for you that year.

 

[JoeWras]

Got there as the polls opened. Waited in line. Got out after about 45 minutes. Line was gone.

Should have come 45 minutes after poll opened.

Currently no line.

-----
Joe Voter, Raleigh, NC, one of the "hot zones"

 

[sengsational]

On items that I do not know enough about (nor care enough to spend the time to study), I usually leave blank.

Of course, I want as few of these as possible, but I do not feel bad about leaving some to people who feel more strongly about the issues. When I don't know (nor care), I will admit that I do not know (nor care).

If I eliminate the races where my vote doesn't matter (very high Cook PVI), where there is no opposition, or I wish to vote 'the finger' to the establishment, there's very little research required. And I just can't force myself to research each judge, so those remain blank.

But I think going into the booth and leaving stuff blank makes a stronger statement than just not going at all.

Oh, DW and I are heading out to the polling place right now!!

 

[MichaelB]

In the interest of keeping this thread open and active, we should probably avoid commenting about the election itself.

 

[2017ish]

.... And I just can't force myself to research each judge, so those remain blank.

...

Much like initiatives, a no vote for any judicial retention is statistically more likely to be "correct" for me than leaving it blank. (In the states in which I've resided, the judiciary is subject to up/down vote at retention periods.)

So far, most state court judges with whom I'm personally familiar are what you would expect from a self-selecting, politically active subset of lawyers. Luckily there are exceptions, to whom we try to steer our cases.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Your "I voted" sticker is worth:

A free Krispy Kreme doughnut
A free cup of coffee at 7-11
Free cookie at Great American Cookies
Free Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream in North Carolina (Wake Forest only)
Free Workout at Gold's Gym
A great feeling that you participated in the greatest democracy in the world. Yes, even this year.

They had me at Krispy Kreme . We leave in 20 minutes to cast our votes; hmmm, glazed vs sprinkles, which to choose.... Oh, wait, we don't have any Krispy Kreme stores here--7-11 coffee it is!

 

[Big_Hitter]

In the interest of keeping this thread open and active, we should probably avoid commenting about the election itself.

so no poles?

 

[Philliefan33]

PA does not have early voting, so DH and I went this morning. There was a very long line out the door at our polling place, but we lucked out. Three districts vote at that place, and the long line was for a different district. We only had to wait about 15 minutes.

We didn't get a "I voted" sticker [emoji853]. Oh well, there's no Krispy Kreme around here, and I doubt I'd get anything free at the quilt shop or grocery store when I go later today.

 

[EastWest Gal]

We will be leaving within the hour to vote. It is mid-day, hopefully not too busy. DS will be voting after work at 3:30 PM.

When I was 18-20 I voted in California by going into my own family garage. Guess what, never a line! Yes--our house was a polling place when I was growing up and for years afterward.

I mostly voted absentee in California after 1982. It was just too crazy to juggle a physician's schedule and vote. DH and I sat down and went over the sample ballot with a fine toothed comb each election.

In 1999 we moved to PA. Talk about culture shock. No early voting, minimal access to absentee ballot, and worse, no sample ballot. We have had to explore the internet and buy the one issue of the local paper dealing with the local elections to learn about most of the candidates. It's just feels wrong. It's very strange, given that this state is the home of our country's birthplace.

Another thing that is weird here is that there is only a 10 foot perimeter where we are protected from electioneering. So we have to walk past friendly but very annoying people just outside the door of the church that is our polling place. Then the church has a bake sale inside the door.

I too have left some of the local election slots blank, as there was too little information about the candidates for me to make a decision.

 

[NW-Bound]

A couple of posters have brought up the vote of retaining judges. Yes, I have the same problem of not knowing anything about these judges to make a choice. So, I left them blank until a coworker of mine explained this to me. This was decades ago.

He said that judges that sit too long tend to think they have become God. So, his resolution was to vote them down, unless he knew differently about them. If a judge was really good, he should have enough Yes votes to cancel out my friend's No vote. So, I have been doing the same.

The ones I usually leave blank are for minor positions that I do not even know they exist, or what they do.

 

[Big_Hitter]

anyone voting in a pantsuit?